Can you think of people who try to push you around? There’s blatant “bullying” (which is generally easy to point out), and then there are those people who think they’re being “politically correct” about trying to embarrass you or take what could be yours. My advice… starting today… stop them.

Stand up for yourself (most of the time, simply opening your mouth and using your words is enough) and be proud of what you believe in. Trust me, some people go through their entire lives unchallenged because we’re almost trained in this country to take the path of least resistance. Obstruct.

This can mean saying something to that jerk in the office, to that attendant at the store or to the barbell in the gym. BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU’RE SAYING, and follow through at all costs. Don’t sit around and wait for the “path of least resistance”. Tell yourself… failure is not an option.

My best friend, Jared Steven Rector, said: “A path of least resistance leading nowhere is no path at all, but a path of lessor resistance leading to your goal may be the best path of all. It may allow yourself to discover new paths along the way… Brute force is rarely the most productive means to an end.”

I am not advocating aggressive action against nay-sayers and bullies. What I am trying to introduce into the minds of people who have been taking the “back seat” for too long, is to feel confident voicing your opinion to people who otherwise would have never heard it.

Obstructing does not mean breaking rules or crossing lines. It means being a confident person who knows what he or she wants, and not being ashamed or too shy to go after it. Try this just one time… it’s pretty liberating.

Here’s to being a more confident person than you were yesterday! You CAN do it. You ARE worth it.

(Also, for the sake of this video, teach your kids how to talk. That will also help.)